Wild Cat
by LLF
Summary: The story of Maggie and Eddie......and Abby.
1. Chapter 1 The Pavilion

_I wrote this as a one shot for a fan fiction challenge at at a site called 'The Dance We Do'. Given the snippets of information we have been given about Abby's childhood, her mother Maggie, and now her father Eddie, I am curious about the kind of life they had in the beginning. I felt this was a good jumping off spot for that story. Hopefully in writing this, I will be able to answer my own questions…and give you something to enjoy reading. As always…..I do not own the characters of 'ER'…some other lucky ducks do. I just borrow them on occasion._

The Pavilion

Maggie Wyczenski grinned and adjusted the neck of the tiny red tee shirt and nuzzled the sweet folds of skin on her grandson's neck. Joe giggled and tried to shake her head away as he stood in her lap. Maggie kissed the end of his upturned nose and turned him around so he could see the baseball field in front of them.

"See Daddy out there?" she said. Joe bounced on her knees and crowed.

"Yeah…" she laughed as Luka missed a baseball that bounced up from the ground in front of him. He scrambled after it and tossed it to the dismayed first baseman as a runner crossed home plate. "That's him. First time I saw him on this field he had no clue what he was doing. I don't think that has changed too much."

She smiled and sighed as she remembered that night…what? Five or six years ago? She and Abby had had a horrendous conversation that night. A healing conversation. And then they had come to the softball game. Luka had been delighted to see them….or Abby at least. She paused in her thoughts to hug the baby to her for a long moment and then sat him on her knees. Her eyes swept the baseball field and rested on her daughter. Abby had her glove on her hand and was leaning forward at second base anticipating the hit from the next batter. She had a determined set to her lips and was oblivious to the lecherous grin from Luka as he surveyed her blue jeaned clad behind in his position as short stop. Maggie shook her head and rolled her eyes. They were so happy and had been through so much. It was good to see them this way. So very good. And they looked good. The whole ER team did. They were decked out in jeans and red tee shirts with a huge ER emblazoned on the front. Joe's shirt matched. He even had his name on the back…just as they all did. And it was a good thing they did. She still remembered some of the faces from her last visit, but not all the names. 'Archie' was on third base watching over the field as it's 'unofficial' captain. 'Tony' stood guard at first base. 'Dr. Pratt' was pitching to the catcher, 'Hope'. 'Malik' was positioned behind Luka in center field tonight and Ray was a little too close to him in left field. She chuckled a little as she realized they were both backing up their occasionally inept short stop. Chuny, Sam and a couple of others she didn't recognize filled out the field. And the bleachers seemed to be crowded this evening with other faces that she recognized. They were all watching the field intently. This game against the surgical team, in scrub tops for their uniform, seemed to be an important one. Maggie shook her head. It was just a game…..

"Luka…." Morris scolded as they all moved in from the field after the third strike out. "We gotta move you from that position, man. You're a little…um… distracted?" Luka's face fell and then he grinned sheepishly as he pulled the mitt from his hand and found a place on the bench to sit. Morris scowled as Abby tossed her glove to Luka and picked up a bat from the back stop fence. She caught Morris' scowl and shrugged.

"What?!" she cried as she noticed his face and took a swing with the bat. Morris glanced back at Luka and shook his head again. Abby advanced to the plate and stopped just short of the batter's box. She took another practice swing and then stepped into the box. She scuffed her feet in the dirt, settled the bat at her shoulder and leaned forward. Her eyes trailed across the dirt to the pitcher's mound and her eyes drilled into Crenshaw's. He smirked and slapped the ball into his mitt as he readied his pitch.

"Nice going, Abby," came a soft British accent from behind the catcher's mask. "You've got him plenty scared." Abby didn't crack a smile and waited for the pitch. Too high. She let it go and then settled back into her stance. The next two were outside. And the fourth was too low and bounced into Neela's hands. Abby dropped her bat in disbelief as she glared at the little weasel on the pitcher's mound. He was smiling in satisfaction. He walked her! An intentional walk! She turned and threw her bat back to the on deck circle and loped to first base. Lucien Dubenko tipped his head and smiled as she settled her heel on the bag at first base.

"It's okay, Abby," Haleh reassured her from the first base coach's box. "Gates will get you in." Abby nodded as she watched Chuny approach the batter's box. Abby shook her head as Crenshaw intentionally walked his second batter. Was he really so stupid? He was setting up loaded bases with Gates coming up fourth. She shook her head as she and Chuny met glances from first and second base. She heard Crenshaw's cackling chuckle as Luka approached the batter's box. She heard Maggie admonishing him not to stand too close to the plate from the bleachers. She shook her head. What was it with these people? He knew what he was doing. He'd played every summer for the ER. She winced as he swung at the a little too low first pitch. Strike. Poor guy. With his long torso the strike zone was fairly easy to pitch to. Not like her's. He stepped out of the batter's box and grinned good naturedly as he took a practice swing. He jokingly did the Babe Ruth stance and pointed way out to the center field. She chuckled and shook her head again as she settled her heel on the second base bag and prepared to run.

Luka sighed and smiled as he positioned the bat on his shoulder. Softball. It never ceased to frustrate him. All that 'wait time' on the field with nothing happening. Why couldn't they be playing a more interesting game…like soccer? Now there was a ball easier to deal with. If he had anything to do with it, Joe was going to be a soccer player. Going to be? He already had a tiny soccer ball in his toy basket at home. But then he also had a tiny American football…..and a baseball mitt…..and a plastic remote control that made sounds when you pushed the buttons. Damn. Why did Abby have to be on second base? She was right in his line of sight. That tee shirt pulled at her hips and was stretched a tiny bit snug over her chest. Morris was right. He was…um….distracted tonight.

Maggie was grinning as she watched the game. She jostled Joe in her lap again and then something in her throat caught as her eyes swept through the bleachers. She should have been prepared. Abby had told her he might be coming. He was leaning against the rail at the end of the bleachers watching the game. A bit of a smile tugged at his lips as his eyes rested on his daughter at second base. His eyes shifted to the bleachers as if he had felt her watching him. Their eyes met. He was startled. Maggie gazed at him with an unwavering stare. Jim….Jed….Eddie…..whatever he called himself these days…hesitated and then tipped his head a little in recognition. Maggie smiled and lifted her hand with Joe's fingers wrapped around her's in a slight wave. Eddie sighed and then turned his head back to the game.

My god but she was gorgeous. Still. Tiny. Compact and beautiful. Abby had said she was managing things nicely. Taking medications for her disease. His life most recently had been filled with so much regret. But never as much as he was dealing with now.

Suddenly there was a crack. Not from the bat, but from the skies. A drenching, early summer rain began to pour and there were yelps as players raced in from the field to gather up equipment. Luka still stood on the field watching them with dismay. Where were they going? Wimps. If this had of been soccer the game would have gone on. Sheesh.

"Luka!" Abby hollered as rain pelted her head. "The pavilion!" Luka nodded and followed his team mates to the bleachers.

Eddie took the bleacher benches two at a time when the rain began to fall. His hand touched Maggie's as he took the umbrella she struggled with and opened it for her. Their eyes met and he smiled slightly. She responded in kind as he bent his head to press a kiss to the top of Joe's red baseball cap.

They were among the last to step under the picnic pavilion not far from the baseball field. Ray was working at the gas grill and the smell of charring burgers and hot dogs swirled all around them. Neela handed him an open beer can and he grinned as he handed her a cook's apron. Neela grimaced and slipped it over her head and took a pair of tongs from him.

People were laughing as they set out dishes of salads and vegetables and opened bags of corn chips and potato chips. Abby took Joe from her mother and turned his baseball cap backwards so she could kiss his cheeks. Maggie set about arranging the various kinds of buns and rolls on the table and wordlessly Eddie joined her and opened ketchup bottles and mustard containers. Beer and soda cans opened with hissing pops as Abby wove her way through the picnic tables and laughing co-workers to Luka's side. He grinned and pressed a kiss to his son's head and then to her lips. His fingers caressed her cheek for a short, very private, moment as they shared a fleeting remembrance of where they had been only a year ago. He looked back at the crowd under the pavilion. The rain continued to pour over the pavilion but it didn't dampen the spirits of the people in front of him. The ER team, the team from surgery, Raab, Coburn, Jerry, Maggie…..they were all there. Only one face was missing and she had called that morning from a Florida beach. It was a very special gathering.

The talking tapered off as Gates interrupted them with a shrill whistle. Luka waved in thanks and then cleared his throat.

"As you know this has been a very tumultuous year for our ER team," he said. His eyes met Abby's. "And for my family…" She smiled and settled Joe on her hip and turned her attention to straightening his tee shirt.

"We thank you for your skills," he went on as his eyes swept to Drs. Raab and Coburn who lifted their soda cans in a toast as they nodded happily.

"We thank you for your support…" and his eyes met Maggie's. She smiled.

"And we thank you for your friendship….." Luka lifted his drink high. "Here's to the first baseball game of the season…which was a washout….."

"Ah, we'll get you at the next one!" Dubenko shouted. There were cheers and whistles from the players surrounding him. Luka laughed and then grinned as he pulled Abby and Joe under his arm.

"And here's to our son's very first birthday……." People clapped as Chuny lit the single candle in the middle of the huge cake on the table in front of them.

Joseph Kovac stuck a finger shyly into his mouth and looked around at the smiling faces that surrounded him. He turned his attention to the candle in the middle of the cake. He knew what he was supposed to do. His mommy had been practicing with him for weeks. He'd had to show Grandma what he could do just that morning.

"Haaappppyyyy Birrrthdaaaay, dear Joooooe," they sang around him. "Happy Birrrrrthday to yooouuuuuuuu." Abby tipped the little boy forward and he plopped both hands into the middle of the sweet frosting on the cake to support himself and blew the candle out.


	2. Chapter 2 Magic

Abby's brown eyes narrowed suspiciously as she peered around the corner post of the pavilion toward the park bench not far away. Two people sat on the bench looking out toward the Lake Michigan shoreline. The sidewalk lamps had been on for ages and it was nearly dark. But she could see them shadowed in the circle of lamplight. She shifted the straps of the backpack baby carrier carefully so as not to wake Joe. He was sound asleep with his head on her shoulder. She started as Luka leaned close to press another kiss to his sleeping son's head and then wrapped his arms around both of them.

"Leave them alone, Abby," he admonished her. She sighed heavily and glanced back toward her mother and father who were sitting on the bench she had been watching. "Let's go home." She shook her head slightly.

"I don't think she's ready to leave just yet."

"She's a big girl," Luka said quietly. "She can find her way back to our place." He reached for her hand and tugged. "Come on." Abby turned reluctantly and looked around the now empty park pavilion. Luka had already taken their grill and leftovers and the bag of gifts to the car. She looked up at him.

"Our baby is a year old, Luka,"she sighed. "This year went so fast." He tugged at her hand.

"I know," he said. He tugged again impatiently. She turned her head and carefully leaned her cheek on the baby's soft hair. She turned her eyes toward Luka's impatient face.

"He is so sound asleep," she laughed quietly. "All this fresh air … he will probably sleep like this all night long." Luka rolled his eyes and tugged her hand again.

"So, what are we waiting for?" Abby frowned a little and then looked up at him. He was studying her face in the greenish light from the pavilion lamps over head. He rolled his eyes again and grinned. She grinned as she realized the reason for his urgency and shook her head.

"You're not tired after all this?" she teased. He shook his head and his grin widened as she playfully dragged her feet toward their car parked nearby. She turned as he carefully lifted the sleeping baby from the back carrier and buckled him into the waiting car seat. He took the baby carrier from her shoulders, stowed it on the floor and quietly shut the back door. He hurried around to the other side of the car as she pulled herself up into the passenger seat, buckled her seat belt and glanced one more time at the couple sitting on the bench before she shut her door. Luka turned the key to start the car and pulled it out of the parking spot and toward the park entrance and street.

"Is she still watching us?" Eddie asked her as he took a last drag on his cigarette. Maggie snapped the mirrored compact in her hand shut and slipped it into her bag.

"Nope," she chuckled. "They just left." He laughed and nodded.

"You did a good job, Maggie," he said as he dropped the butt to the sidewalk and ground it with the toe of his foot. "She's great."

"Abby?" Maggie shook her head. "No. She pretty much raised herself…and me….in the process. She didn't have anyone else." Eddie frowned a bit at the slight directed at him and nodded. Maggie glanced at him to see the reaction to her words. She expected him to start into his usual litany of excuses and was inwardly surprised when he didn't. Eddie leaned forward for a moment with his elbows resting on his knees as she looked out at the dark water. He sighed heavily and leaned back against the bench and then turned to look at her. He was surprised to see her watching him and grinned.

"We were really something in the beginning, weren't we?" he said. "Had that…..magic?" Maggie shook her head.

"Magic?" she scoffed. "I don't know about that. We were just kids. So young." Eddie laughed and looked at her again. Their eyes met and then she looked away as she blushed .

"Yeah……magic," he said again and reached over to pick up her hand. "You know, I still remember what you were wearing when I first set eyes on you?"

"Oh please…." She laughed and slipped her hand from his.

"It's true," he said. "What were those kind of pants called that are wider at the end?" Maggie looked at him and frowned slightly.

"Bell bottoms…." She whispered disbelievingly.

"Yeah! That's it. You looked like you had a god damned skirt around both of your knees….." He shook his head and grinned as he looked at his feet as he was lost in his remembrance. "They had those crazy shapes all over….."

"Paisley print," Maggie offered.

"And a putrid green sweater…."

"I borrowed it from Gina," she said softly and pulled her jacket closer. She was suddenly chilled by the slight breeze coming off the lake. Or maybe it wasn't the air…..but something else.

"And you were dressed all in black….." her voice was quiet. "Quite the bad boy with your pool cue and whiskey shots." He chuckled and nodded slowly.

"First time and only time I ever really wanted to lose a billiard bet…." His eyes met her's and they searched one another's faces for a long moment. Her's looked peaceful…older but still pretty. Very pretty. His cragginess and lines told the tale of a life time of hard knocks. And he was still handsome. She could still see that bad boy in him that had attracted her in the first place. She could see the stubborn set of Abby's chin and Eric's thick curly hair and grey eyes in him. He had never really been gone from her life. She'd had constant daily reminders of what she had lost. What she had driven away. She had actually spent most of her life blaming him but it had been both of them. Lord knows it had taken her a long time to really understand how her disease affected the people around her. She couldn't blame him any more. They'd been so young…….


	3. Chapter 3 Jukebox

_Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters created by the ER writing and production staff. I just borrow them on occasion to have some writing fun. _

He heard her before he ever saw her. That high boisterous laugh. He heard it above everything else in the bar. Made him miss his shot actually. It wasn't that big of a deal. He won the game….and the fifty bucks. It was a pretty high stakes game for him. He didn't have the money to pay off if he lost. But he knew he would win. The fancy, schmancy college prep kid didn't have a chance against him. Stupid kid didn't even have smarts enough to see the money up front. After slipping the bill into his pocket, he relinquished his table to other players and went in search of the laugh.

He meandered to the bar and ordered a whiskey shot. It was a Friday night. The place was loaded. Girls. Guys. Some actually in uniform. Gotta give them credit for courage. College kids. Youth reigned at Sheely's on Fridays. His eyes searched the smoky, dancing throng and stopped as he heard it again. The laugh.

She was standing by the juke box with a group of girls. Her fingers were wrapped around the neck of a beer bottle as she perused the music choices in the juke box. Damn but she was the smallest thing he'd seen in a while. Short Didn't look that much different from the friends she was with. Paisley print bell bottoms….green sweater….god…what was that color??? Looked like the pea soup his mother used to make him eat. Long dark hair held off her face with a wide band. He continued to study her as she punched a few buttons and then turned around. Their eyes met and she smiled and then looked away. He grinned and shook his head.

"Hey, Jim boy…" He threw his drink back in his throat and set the glass on the bar behind him as he was joined by a friend. "Heard you snagged a hot one at the tables tonight." Jim nodded and leaned back against the bar to watch her again.

"You gonna share the wealth and buy me a cold one?" Jim nodded and handed his buddy some cash.

"Ever seen her before, Ronnie?" he asked and tipped his head toward the juke box. Ron squinted his eyes to look and took a drink from his beer bottle.

"They look like college crowd," he said. "Not my type…..….or yours." He snickered as Jim continued to watch them. His eyes met hers again and she ambled toward the bar with her empty bottle.

"Be right back," he said. Ron shook his head.

"It's your money, man," he sighed and turned back to the bar. Jim made his way to the end of the bar where she was waiting for another beer. He flipped a bill to the bartender as she reached into her pockets.

"I got it," he said. She looked up at him with an amused smile.

"Jim Wyczenski," he said.

"Maggie," she said over the din of the juke box. "Maggie Bryant." He ordered a beer for himself and then tipped his head toward a table near the back. She studied him for a moment and then nodded. They made their way o the quiet corner and sat down opposite one another.

"College?" he finally asked. She nodded.

"I take a couple of classes," she said. 'I'm an art major. How did you know?" He chuckled and shrugged.

"Home on leave?" she asked. He frowned and then shook his head. "Your tour is over?" He shook his head. She frowned a little and set her bottle on the table. She leaned forward and studied him. Thick wavy hair that was long around his ears and collar. Black tee shirt with the cigarette pack bulge in it's chest pocket. Black pants and muddy work boots.

"Well….you don't look like a college deferment or a ministry student…" He scoffed and leaned back in his chair and took a drink of his beer.

"I am guessing that you aren't in Viet Nam because of a family hardship….." she guessed. He shook his head. Her eyes widened.

"You're a draft dodger!" she squealed. He laughed again.

"4-F," he said. "Flat feet….VERY flat feet." She tipped her head to look under the table and he laughed. She grinned and took another drink. She looked up as the music in the juke box changed.

"Do you dance?" she asked. She was out of her seat and had him by the hand before he could protest. She dragged him to the middle of the crowded dance floor and took a drink from the beer bottle he still carried. Jim grinned and shook his head as she started to move. She put her hands on his hips and guided him. He move slowly…mesmerized by the look on her face as she moved and mouthed the words of the song. Wild Thing. She raised her arms over her head and closed her eyes. He studied her face and the long lines of her neck and her small, firm breasts under the sweater. Her hips moved sensuously and he swallowed. Damn. His feet stopped moving and he just watched her. The song ended and she laughed as she saw his face. She took his bottle from him and he took her by the hand.

"This is where I dance," he said as he picked up a pool cue. He checked it over and then handed it to her. Maggie giggled and held it as if it were a foreign thing she had never seen before. He picked up another cue and watched her as he chalked the end of his and set the rack of balls in place. She studied his face and his hands as they worked to set up the game. He set the white ball on the circle and nodded toward her.

"Surely you don't do this without a bet of some kind," she asked coquettishly as she chalked up the end of her cue.

"A bet?" He was intrigued. "What kind of a bet?" She leaned back thoughtfully, her hips thrust a little forward.

"If I win…..you take me to your place," she said. "If you win…..you take me home." He eyed her suspiciously.

"I never throw a game," he drawled daringly. Maggie shrugged.

"Suit yourself…." She purred. She leaned over the table and took the first shot. Jim shook his head as he realized she had purposely given him a clear view of her braless chest in the process. Tart. He liked that. He definitely liked that.

She was not a good billiards player. Worse than he thought anyone could ever be. Too jumpy. Couldn't be still enough to really concentrate. She waggled her rear end to the music from the juke box as she lined up her shots. He tried helping her….once. Their bodies pressed together as he leaned over her but she had ground her rear end into his groin suggestively. She had turned around in his arms till they were face to face. There was something between the two of them. He could feel it. Something more than sex. He'd know if it were just that.

She was so different than anyone he had ever been with before. Cleaner somehow. And he was usually the one in charge. He didn't feel in charge with Maggie. Not at all. Not even when he had taken her home. She had hopped on his motorcycle with ease and snapped his helmet on her head. She'd kissed him when he dropped him off at the small white frame house she shared with other friends. Kissed him long and deep and forcefully. He'd never wished to have lost a game of pool more than he had at that moment. Maggie Bryant was a force to be reckoned with. A force indeed.


	4. Chapter 4 Different

A week passed before he saw her again. He took his bike by her house every day but she never seemed to be in. Cars were gone. Drapes were drawn. After a week he couldn't stand it. He pulled his bike into the drive and jumped up onto the covered porch. He knocked on the door and waited. He knocked again. Finally he turned away. He stopped when he heard the latch and a door open. Jim turned and waited. She stood behind the screen door wrapped in a bathrobe. He was startled at the whiteness of her pale face and circles under her eyes.

"Hey….' He said softly and smiled.

"Hi…" she responded.

"Have you been sick?" he asked. "I've been a little worried that you were just part of my imagination or something." She smiled wanly and brushed the lank hair away from her face.

"Can I come in?" he asked. She hesitated and looked back at the room behind her before she unlocked the screen door. She backed away from it and he pulled it open. The room was dark and scattered with papers. She had pages and pages of sketches hanging everywhere. Fashion sketches, landscapes, portraits….she was very good. He approached a series she had hanging on the wall and studied them as she watched.

"These are good," he said softly. "Really good." Maggie smiled softly and turned toward the door leading into the kitchen. He followed her and took the tea kettle from her.

"I'll fix it," he said. "You don't look like you are feeling so hot."

"I'm fine," she said. He shook his head.

"No, you're not," he said and led her back into the living room to the couch. He settled her against the cushions and wrapped a knit shawl around her.

"I'll make you some tea," he said. "And some soup. You haven't anything today, have you?"

"No…but I really don't want….." He stopped her with a soft kiss to her lips. She looked up at him when he pulled back.

"It's okay," he said. "I'll take care of everything." She nodded and closed her eyes. He pressed another kiss to her forehead and then headed into the kitchen to see what he could possibly make a soup from.

She was sound asleep when he carried the steaming mug of tea into the living room. He set the mug on the coffee table and sat down next to it to study her. Long dark hair was tucked under her cheek and short dark lashes fluttered a bit as she slept. Her eyes brows arched perfectly over her eyes and full lips pouted a bit. Her cheeks and nose were round and pale. He didn't have any clue to what drew him to her. She was hardly the type he usually hung out with. He'd been around that type every night this week and all he could think about was where she might be. He glanced around the room and sighed. There were other things he could do while she slept. He stood up and headed for the kitchen to tackle the pile of dishes in the sink.

An hour later the kitchen was clean and he had straightened the living room. He found a laundry room and had a load of dirty towels he'd found washing as well. He was standing in front of the vacuum cleaner debating if the noise it made would wake her or not when he heard a key in the lock of the front door. The door was pushed open and the girl on the other side stopped in her tracks when she saw him.

"Who are you?" the woman at the door asked. "How did you get in?" Jim tipped his head toward Maggie's sleeping form on the couch. She shook her head in understanding and dropped her bag on the floor next to her.

"You must be Jim, then" she said as she extended her hand. "I'm Gina, one of Maggie's house mates. She told us about you." His brows furrowed in concern as he glanced toward the couch. Maggie slept on despite the noise. Gina's eyes followed his and she grinned.

"Oh, she sleeps like the dead through one of these," she said. "Always does. Watch." She flipped the switch to the vacuum cleaner and they both looked at Maggie, who never stirred. Gina chuckled and flipped the switch off again.

"See?" she said with a smile. "I wish I could say that for the rest of us when she goes on one of her midnight cleaning frenzies. We have lost more than one boarder because of those." He followed her toward the kitchen and Gina stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the immaculate counter tops and empty sink. She looked back at him.

"Wow…" she nodded. "I think you are a keeper!"

"Well, she wasn't feeling well and I thought I should hang around till she woke up," he said. Gina took a coffee cup from the cupboard and poured herself a cup from the full coffee pot. She leaned back against the counter and surveyed him thoughtfully.

"You thought that after one encounter with her at a bar?" she asked as she took a sip. Her eyes widened slightly. "Damn…you **are** a keeper! This is great." Jim grinned sheepishly.

"Well…I've got more than my fair share of short order cooking experience."

"You cook too??" Gina shook her dark head in dismay. "How is it that Maggie always manages to snag the good ones?" She grinned and took another sip of coffee as she studied him. Jim shifted a bit uncomfortably, glanced down at his shirt and then pulled his cigarettes out of his pocket. Gina watched him light one and slip the pack back into his pocket.

"Look….." she said finally. "Maggie is my best friend and I have known her forever. I'd do anything for her….and she would do the same for me….but she's tough. Different. Gotta hang in there and sift through a lot of…stuff…. with her if you are planning to stick around."

"Stuff?" he asked as he took a drag on his cigarette. Gina shrugged and glanced at her watch.

"I've got another class in 45 minutes," she said. "I just came home to check on her. I'll catch Amy and tell her not to bother coming later. She'll be glad to hear that you are here. We're both be done with classes around 8ish….if you still don't want to leave Maggie by herself." He nodded as she set her coffee cup in the sink and followed her back to the living room. She picked up her bag from the floor, kissed Maggie's cheek quickly and then glanced back at him again. She grinned and shook her head.

"Damn…." she sighed with a smile. She waved her hand and left. Jim's grey eyes rested on Maggie's sleeping form again. Stuff? What kind of…. she be talking about? He crossed to the vacuum cleaner and kept a disbelieving eye on her as she slept through the noise as he cleaned the rug.

Maggie woke later to the smell of eggs cooking. She was hungry. She pulled herself up on the couch and frowned as she brushed her hair away from her face. The living room was flooded with late afternoon sun. Who opened the blinds? She stood up and wrapped the shawl around herself as she padded toward the noise and smell from the kitchen. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw him working at the stove. He turned around with a pan in his hand and then grinned when he saw her.

"Hey…." he said. "I wondered when you were going to wake up." Her brown eyes took in his form and then traveled to the table, which had been set for two.

"I found some sausage in the freezer," he said. "I figured breakfast for dinner was better than no breakfast at all." He scooped a generous helping of scrambled eggs on both plates and then put the pan back on the stove. He reached for her hand and pulled her toward the table. Wordlessly Maggie sat down and watched as he sat across from her. Jim pushed a plate toward her with two muffins on it. One had a candle stuck in the middle of it.

"I found some birthday cards on the table," he said. "Figured you were celebrating your birthday the last time we saw each other. Didn't want to miss out on that…" A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth and he grinned. Her eyes widened in dismay as he opened a ketchup bottle and lifted it toward his pile of eggs.

"What are you doing?" she said finally. He looked up and then saw that she was eyeing the ketchup bottle.

"Putting ketchup on my eggs…." He said. "Why? Haven't you ever done that?" Maggie shook her head. Jim's smiled turned rakish.

"Ah…." he sighed. "Time to try new things…" He turned the ketchup to her plate and she quickly stopped him.

"Don't you dare," she laughed. He stopped and his eyes rested on her face.

"Now that's what I like to hear….." he said softly. Her eyes met his and she smiled shyly. She grimaced as he covered the top of his eggs with ketchup and smiled in satisfaction. He watched her and waited for her as she lifted a forkful of eggs to her own mouth. He grinned and she smiled across the table at him.


	5. Chapter 5 Pencils

It was an unseasonably warm day for a Minnesota spring. She had talked him into pizza in the park. He had to admit that it was a good idea now. He was stretched out on a blanket, leaning against a tree soaking up the last bit of afternoon sun. Relaxing. She was settled in front of him absorbed in her sketch pad. Her pencil was moving furiously and was the sound was the only thing that was keeping him from actually sleeping. He shifted and his eyes opened when she shrieked at him.

"What are you doing?" she cried. "Don't move!" He frowned a bit as he watched her. She had a look of desperation and determination on her face. Her body was tight and wired. Her movements jerky and tense. He had noticed the change a couple of days ago and had mentioned something to Gina. She had just rolled her eyes and nodded. Maggie groaned in frustration and flipped the sketch over, picked up a different pencil and started drawing again. She threw the pencil down when the lead broke and searched through the pile next to her for another one. Jim frowned and sat up to help her. She was breathing so hard and fast…almost panicking. He grabbed her hand and held it firmly for a moment waiting for her to look at him. When she didn't he picked up the sharpener and quickly sharpened a pencil. Wordlessly he slipped it into her hand. She looked at the pencil and sighed happily.

"Oh……thank you," she breathed. Never looking at him she returned to the rapid sketching on the pad. He sat back worriedly and watched her.

"Maggie…" he said softly.

"I told you not to move," she retorted. She frowned at the pad and then threw it down onto the blanket. "Look what you did! You moved!" She stood up from the blanket and glared down at him. Jim was dumbfounded as she let out a stream of obscenities directed at him. She turned and stalked toward the sidewalk. He stood up and went after her. It had to be a joke.

Maggie was muttering and ranting as she paced quickly down the sidewalk in the park with Jim right behind her. She was oblivious to other people in her path and he apologized for her when they were forced off the sidewalk. He finally caught up with her and wrapped his arms around her from the back. He nearly fell over when she started to kick and scream.

"Stop it, Maggie!" he ordered. "It's me!" She only screamed and struggled louder.

"Don't touch me!" she yelled. Jim panicked but didn't let go. He struggled to turn her around to face him and wrapped his hands around her face. She was looking everywhere except at him.

"Maggie….baby…." he crooned as he moved his face to be in her line of sight. "It's me. It's me, sweetie. Jimmy…" Their eyes finally connected and she began to relax. In fact, she melted against him. He slipped an arm under her's and turned her back toward their blanket. She was weeping and he grinned self consciously at people who were watching them from the park.

"Is everything all right?" A man she had forced off the sidewalk just moments before was concerned as they passed him. Jim nodded and supported her as they made their way back to their blanket. He drew her down into his lap and held her there – like a baby – as she wept.

"I want to go away, Jimmy," she said finally.

"Okay. I'll take you back home," he said as he brushed her hair away from her face. She looked up at him and then pressed her face back into his damp tee shirt.

"No…." she sobbed. "I want to go away. Really go away from here….."

"Where would we go, Maggie?" he crooned. "We both have jobs. You have your classes."

"I need to go away…." she cried. "Please. Please take me away."

"Shhhh….." he crooned as he held her. "It's okay." He held her there until the sun set and she fell asleep in his arms.

When the sun was down the night air chilled quickly. He settled her on the blanket and quickly gathered up her drawing materials. His frown deepened when she saw the last two pictures in the sketch book. His face. Something weird and different in his eyes. Demons. He glanced at her and ripped the sketches from the book, folded them and slipped them into his pocket.

Jim settled the sketch book and pencil bag in her lap and carefully lifted her in his arms. He carried her toward the parking space and his motorcycle. He roused her enough to sit her in the bike and slipped her helmet on her head. He folded the blanket and tucked her pad and pencils in the middle before slipping it into his saddle bag. He fastened his helmet on his head and settled himself in front of her on the motorcycle. She melted against him as he drew her arms around his waist and patted her hands. He could feel her tired sigh against his back and he turned the key and kick started the bike.

He was sitting on the front steps of the porch smoking a cigarette when Gina came looking for him. He had carried Maggie into the house and settled her on her bed. The two of them worked silently as they stripped her down and slipped a worn tee shirt of his over her head. Eddie had pressed a kiss to her forehead as he pulled the threadbare quilt up around her. He watched her close her eyes and nestle into the warmth of her bed before he left the room. Gina sat down on the steps next to him and took the cigarette he offered her. He lit it and then watched as she took a long drag.

"What happened?" she asked finally.

"I'm not sure," he said. "She was drawing. A pencil broke and then she fucking fell apart." He pulled the sketches from his pocket and unfolded them.

"What do you make of this?" he asked. Gina took the pictures from him and studied them. A smile crossed her face and she chuckled.

"I have a collection of those myself," she said as she handed them back to him. "I don't bother to save them any more." Jim studied the pictures again.

"They don't mean anything, Jim," she said softly as she put her hand on his arm. "She loves you."

"Why doesn't her family talk to her more?" he asked. Gina sighed.

"Can't you guess?" He shook his head and crumbled the pictures in his hand.

"Naw…." he said as he stood up. "I can't guess. If I loved someone….really loved someone….nothing could make me turn my back on them." He threw his cigarette to the walk and ground it out with his foot

"I'll come by before work tomorrow and check on her," he said. Gina nodded and watched him head toward his motorcycle. She waved as he turned the bike toward the street and left. Gina sighed and took another drag on the cigarette before she tamped it out on the walk and headed back inside.


	6. Chapter 6 April Showers

Amy was waiting for him on the porch when he arrived the next morning. He stepped up on the porch and brushed the water off his jacket. It was pouring rain.

"The good news is I finished my Poli-Sci paper at 2 am," Maggie's blonde room mate said as she slipped into a yellow rain coat out on the porch. "The bad news is that she was up at 3 am cleaning and vacuuming and doing laundry. The really, really good news is that I have 2 hours until my class so I am out of here to catch a nap at the library before then." She flipped a long blonde braid over her shoulder and pulled up the hood of her rain jacket.

"Good luck, Jimmy," she called back as she ran out into the rain toward the bus stop at the corner. He nodded and waited a moment before opening the door.

Maggie was in the kitchen blissfully unaware of his presence as she stood at stove stirring something in a pan. He watched her for a moment. She was still in his old tee shirt that reached well down her shapely calves. She had a pair of navy knees socks pulled all the way up and a pair of fuzzy pink slippers on her feet. Her long hair had been pulled up into a pony tail and held in place with a hair clip. The sleeves of the tee shirt were rolled up and he could see that she had been sweating by the dampness at the back of her neck.

"Ack! Jimmy!" she jumped as she turned around and then fell back against the stove. "I didn't know you were standing there! Come on in and sit down. I have breakfast all ready for you and there are muffins and I am making a soup for dinner tonight. I like it when it cooks all day long, don't you? Gina had an early class but Amy just left. Did you see her?" She smiled as he nodded. She carried the pan from the stove to the table as he watched.

"Don't just stand there," she grinned. "Come and get it!" He was mesmerized by the sassy look in her brown eyes and the happy smile that split her round face. He didn't realize how worried he had been. He advanced toward her but instead of sitting at the table he eased his arms around her and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. She giggled.

"I'm all sweaty…" she sighed as her arms circled his neck.

"Don't care…." he said as their kiss deepened. His hands undid the clip at the back of her head and her hair fell down around his hands. He buried his lips against the curve of her neck. She laughed as his hands went down under the curve of her buttocks and he lifted her upwards. Her legs encircled his waist and he carried her through the kitchen door, the living room and the hall toward her bedroom.

It wasn't until he was alone in her bed that he suddenly realized that he hadn't used the condoms he carried in his wallet. It had been fast and furious and powerful and tender and sweet and…… He lay on his stomach and stared out the open curtains at the rain that was falling against the window panes. Shit.

"April showers bring May flowers….." she said brightly as she climbed onto the bed with the plate of muffins from the kitchen table. He grinned and rolled over. He looked up at her and tucked a shower dampened strand of hair behind her ear as she lifted a banana nut muffin to his lips. She stretched out on top of the quilt next to him and pressed her softly full naked body against his. She took another bite of the muffin.

"I want to stay here forever," she said. "Just like this." He laughed and almost choked on the mouthful he was chewing.

"It would get kind of cold in the winter, don't you think?" he asked her. "And how would we live with no paychecks?" Maggie traced his eyebrows and his nose and his lips with her finger. She pressed an urgent kiss under his jaw line and down his throat. She raked her sharp nails through the hair on his chest. His eyes widened a bit.

"Damn…Maggie…." he groaned. She giggled and kept moving.

"What….about….the ….forever part…..though?" she asked as she pressed kisses down his torso. "You and me?"

"Always…." he breathed and dragged her up his chest again. She positioned herself on top and straddled him as she sat up. His eyes closed as he savored the feel of her body on his.

"Always what?" she asked pointedly.

"You and me….." he said. "Together forever…married and all that stuff." Maggie stopped suddenly and stared down at him. Jim's eyes opened with a start. Had he really said that? He stared up at her and then a smile slowly spread across his face. Yes. He had said it. And he meant it. It hit him how much he meant it. His hands went up to her shoulders and he drew her slowly down to his chest and rolled them over till his face was above her.

"You will marry me, right?" he asked. "Forever and ever kind of married?" Her brown eyes filled with tears and she took a deep breath.

"Don't ever leave me, Jimmy," she said pleaded quietly. "Please? Promise me that you won't ever leave me." He suppressed a smile and bent his lips slowly to her's.

"Never, Maggie," he said softly. "Never….."

Outside the rain continued to pelt the window pane and to soak the already saturated ground. April showers bring May flowers………


	7. Chapter 7 The Diner

It was a good idea. It was a very good idea. It was something he needed to do. Something he needed to do for both of them. Why did he not relish the idea of telling her?

"I need to talk to you about something," Jim said as he settled himself on the stool at the diner's counter. "When will you be off?" Maggie glanced at her watch and then at the nearly empty diner.

"In another hour," she said as she leaned down on the counter with her elbows. "It's slow. We can talk now." Jim grimaced and looked around.

"Naw," he said. "I'd rather do it in private." She grinned broadly.

"Ooooohhhh….." she drawled and winked at him.

"No," he chuckled. "It's nothing like that." He reached over and took one of her hands in his caressed it gently. She waited.

"It's just that, well…." He took a deep breath. "Ronnie and I have this lead on a job for the summer that would give us a nice pay check. A real nice pay check." She laced her fingers through his possessively and waited again for him to continue.

"The thing is that it's in Oklahoma," he said quickly. Maggie straightened behind the counter.

"Oklahoma?"

"Yeah…." Jim said quickly. "They need roustabouts to work in the oil fields. For wild cat drilling operations. It's temporary and it's a nice amount of money." Maggie's hand slipped from his and she took a step back to look at him.

"A lot of money, Maggie," he said. "Enough that we could probably put a down payment on a house of our own….maybe have you take three classes instead of two next fall….have a real wedding…." His voice trailed off as he gazed at her. Her face had gone ashen.

"So you're going to go…" she said softly.

"I want to," he said. "I want to do it for us." Her eyes widened.

"For us?" she scoffed. Jim's face fell. Maggie folded her arms across her chest and stared angrily down at the floor.

"I am twenty three years old, Maggie," he said softly. "I was pitched out of the foster care system when I was eighteen. I don't have any college like you do. I barely made it through high school. This is my chance to do something big. I need to do it. I'll be back when it's over. I promise."

"You promised that you would never leave me," she said quietly. Jim stood up and circled the counter. He put his hands on her shoulders and tipped her chin up with his thumbs.

"I am not leaving you," he insisted. "I am just taking a temporary job to help us get started."

"A job in another state," her voice broke and he winced when he saw the tears welling in her eyes. She took a deep breath and twisted away from his grasp.

"Okay…." she said with feigned brightness. "When are you leaving?" Jim watched her back as she straightened the counter in front of her.

"Thursday," he said flatly. Maggie's shoulders sagged slightly. That was just two days away. Two days.

"I'll come back to see you whenever I can," he said. "I promi….." His voice trailed off as she spun around.

"Do not make any more promises to me!" she spit angrily.

"Maggie…" he said softly. She folded her arms defensively across her chest and glared at him.

"Honey….." Maggie shook her head and held up her hand to stop him.

"If you want to go," she said firmly. "Then go. I have to get back to work." The bell above the door rang and Jim glanced toward the couple that came in and eased themselves into a booth. Maggie took a deep breath and picked up the menus from the end of the counter. He watched her for a moment as she sashayed up to their table and took their drink order. Wordlessly he rounded the counter and left the diner.

Two days later he leaned on his bike in the parking space in front of the diner. Maggie stood in front of him with her arms tangled in a sweater she had wrapped over her uniform. She had a fiery glint in her eyes as she watched him check the engine on his bike.

"You don't have to go, you know," she said. "I don't want you to go."

"It's not forever," he said firmly. "It's just the summer." She nodded. He drew her into his arms and rested his chin on the top of his her head.

"I might not be here when you decide to come back," she said quietly.

"Yes you will," he said. "I'll call you….every chance I get." He tipped her face up to his and kissed her. She nodded curtly as Ronnie roared up into the parking space next to Jim.

"Ready to go?" he asked as he raised the goggles on his helmet. Jim's arms tightened around Maggie and he lifted her face to kiss her one last time. She stepped back and he swung his leg over his bike. He grinned and turned the bike with Ron's and kick started his engine. He raised his hand in a wave as the two of them pulled the bikes out onto the highway in front of the diner and were gone down the road.

She stood in front of the diner's window for a long time as tears coursed their way down her cheeks. She would wait. No matter how long he took.


	8. Chapter 8 Billiards

He eyed the table critically as he chalked the end of his cue. He leaned over and then took aim.

"Number eleven in the corner pocket," he said with confidence just as his cue hit the ball and sent them moving.

"Damn, Jed," Greg sighed as the ball slipped easily into it's target. Jim chuckled and lined up another shot.

"Eight ball in the side…" It was a long shot but he had done it before. He suppressed a tiny grin. He could almost feel the anticipation of his audience. He took his time and lined it up, shot and stood up as the round black ball rolled into the side pocket. There were cheers and groans as he accepted the money that was handed to him. He took a long swig of the beer that Ronnie handed to him. Jim kissed the bills in his hand and tucked them into his pocket. Ron shook his head and led the way back to their table away from the billiards nook.

"Nice one, Jed," the older man at the table said as he slapped palms with Jim. "Where did a young kid like you learn to shoot billiards like that?" Jim shrugged as he twirled his beer bottle in his hands and glanced around the smoky room.

"Lots of foster homes with pool tables in the basement, I guess," he said. Brian ran his hands through his thick gray hair and surveyed the younger man carefully. He chuckled a little when he recalled their first meeting.

Brian was a driller and had been putting together a new team for their rig. Ron and Jim had both come in as roustabouts…roughnecks. Probably the lowest on the totem pole of responsibility. Hell, they **were** the lowest on the team. He had been instantly struck by Jim's tenacity and earnestness. And his quick wit. He'd even accepted his new nick name without complaint.

"James Edward Wyczenski", Brian had read from his application file. "Jed…."

"Jim, actually," he had corrected.

"Naw…." Brian had said. "Too many Jims and Eds in the field already. How would I know which one I was talking about?" Brian had eyed him over his glasses as Jim mulled it over and then nodded. Brian felt good about him then as a team member and even more so now. Jed had worked hard to learn the job, always showed up on time, never missed a crew meeting, took the overtime when he was needed without complaint….and wasn't one to show up on Monday morning very often with the red eyes and the flushed face of a weekend hangover. And he saved every cent that he could.

"Cal is moving back to Texas," Brian said over the din of the jukebox. Jim nodded.

"I know," he said as he watched the people on the dance floor. He chuckled as his eyes came to light on Ronnie and his newest conquest.

"I'm going to need a new motor hand," Brian said. "Don't really want to bring anyone new onto the team right now. Are you interested?"

"In what?" Jim asked without looking at him. Brian shook his head.

"In training to be my motorman," he said. "In becoming a permanent member of the team?" Jim stopped and then looked at his boss in surprise.

"More pay," Brian said as he tipped his head a little.

"But I'd have to stay…" Jim said. Brian nodded.

"And you have a girl back in Michigan," he said.

"Minnesota," Jim corrected him. He grinned. "Her name is Maggie." Brian nodded again.

"And she is freaking nuts…" Ron added as he sat in his chair at the table with a new girl in his lap.

"No, she's not," Jim chuckled. Ron rolled his eyes.

"Has she answered any of your calls yet? Your letters?" Jim shook his head with a slight frown.

"Nuts….." Ron sighed as he grinned and turned his attention to the girl sharing his chair. "Just ask Amy…."

"Shut up," Jim said quietly. Ron shook his head.

"I need someone right now," Brian said. "Someone willing to work alongside Cal next week to train for the job." Ron glanced from Jim to Brian and back again.

"And you have to think about this?" he said. "Maybe she's not the only one that's nuts."

"Would she move?" Brian asked. "Like maybe to a house down here?" Jim shrugged.

"She's in college," he said with a smidgen of pride. "She's an Art student." Brian sighed and stood up.

"Well, Oklahoma has colleges too," he said. "And I am going to need an answer by tomorrow." Jim nodded and watched him walk away. His heart was pumping madly in his chest. It was his chance. He could move up from roughneck to a motor hand and then derrick hand. Maybe someday he could even become a driller. And it would be something that he loved doing. Really loved. Standing on top of the rig on the monkey board was a powerful feeling. He needed to talk to Maggie. He needed to talk to her….now. Damn. He felt like what of the balls on the pool table. One nudge and he was in the side pocket. Not exactly where he had expected to be. Jim stood up suddenly.

"She is not going to come to the phone, man," Ron warned. "I am telling you right now that she is not going to talk to you." Jim pushed his chair in and strode out of the bar.

"She's nuts!" Ron called after him. He shook his head as he watched his friend leave. Then he smiled and laced his fingers through the girl's hand.

"Come on," he said. "Let's dance." She nodded and stood up, pulling him back onto the crowded dance floor.

Gina frowned and slipped the telephone back into it's cradle. She glared at Maggie, who sat across from her on the couch with a blanket wrapped around her.

"You have to talk to him some time," Gina said angrily. Maggie shook her head.

"He's got a chance to get a permanent job down there," Gina sighed. "He needs to talk to you." Maggie just looked at her. Gina stood up in frustration.

"Okay then," she said. "Answer the damn telephone yourself. I should have said that a long time ago." She stalked out of the living room toward her own bedroom. Maggie stared at the telephone and the slip of paper that Gina had used to write down Jim's number. She really hadn't needed to do that. Maggie knew the telephone number by heart. Yet she couldn't bring herself to use it. She couldn't call him. If she heard his voice she might not be able to keep her secret. She might have to tell him everything and she just couldn't do that. Not now. Not like this. If he didn't come back, well, that was okay too. She had something to hold on to. Something that would make everything all better after all. Something that would never leave her. Something that would always love her. No matter what.


	9. Chapter 9 Diner Deux

The place looked exactly the same. He didn't know what he had expected. He had only been away for three months. Three months. Three months without her. It had felt like a lifetime. He hadn't really expected that.

"Jimmy!" He looked up and grinned as she approached from behind the diner's counter. Maggie wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him soundly. Jim's eyes were open in surprise and he caught the looks from the other diner patrons. "When did you get back?"

"Just now," he said and slid onto a stool at the counter. "I didn't know if you would be here or not. I thought you might have class." Maggie shrugged and smiled.

"I'm not taking classes this semester," she said. "It was too much. I have other things going on."

"Other things?" he asked as she poured him a cup of coffee from the pot.

"Other things," she said firmly. "You're so tanned…rugged looking."

"Being outside agrees with me, I guess," Jim laughed. She scribbled a breakfast order on her pad and hung it over the grill.

"Three eggs over easy, ham, wheat toast and extra crisp American fries on the way." She set a ketchup bottle on the counter in front of him. Jim grinned and took a drink from his coffee cup. He watched as she took care of customers at a table and sighed. Then he saw something. There was a bulge under the snug apron she wore over her uniform. A tell tale bulge. He blanched in realization of what 'other things' meant. He stood up and grabbed her arm as she passed him.

"Come with me," he said firmly. Maggie twisted free and backed away from him.

"Jimmy," she said with a laugh. 'I'm working." She hung the new orders for the cook and looked back at him with a slight frown.

"Take a break….." he said. She glanced back at the food cooking on the grill and then followed him outside the front door. She leaned back against the brick next to the diner window with her hands behind her back. The look on his face was dark and forboding.

"When are you due?" he asked finally. She dipped her chin to her chest and shrugged.

"January," she said. Jim's mouth dropped open in surprise.

"That's….what? Four and a half months from now? Damn….Maggie!" Jim began pacing in anger in front of her. "It's mine too. Did you ever plan to tell me?" She shrugged.

"You weren't exactly around to tell…" He stopped and stared at her, his face a mask of rage.

"You can't do this," he said.

"Oh yes, I can," she replied as she lifted her chin stubbornly. "Gina's sister is younger than I am and has a three year old. It's not such a big deal." He placed his hands on the wall behind either side of her head and met her glare head on.

"Damn, Maggie……" he said as he leaned toward her. "A baby?" She nodded and then her frown melted slowly into a devastating grin. The very kind of smile he had missed so desperately for two months.

"A baby…." He said again and then pressed his lips against her's. He gathered her carefully into his arms and held her.

He had walked around the rest of the day in a daze. A kid? How could he deal with that? How could they do it? She was going to need doctors and a hospital stay for a delivery. God knows what the baby would need. A crib. Clothes. Bottles. Baby food. She'd quit school? He'd have to quit his job in Oklahoma after all. His job. His heart sank. He'd come back hoping to talk her into going back with him. He couldn't take her away from her friends and her job. Not now. Brian was going to be pissed. He had been in training with him for a month. The position belonged to him. Motor hand…Derrick hand…..Driller…..all gone. There weren't any oil rigs in Minnesota. But there were diners. And there were garages…and grocery stores. Maybe he could get on as a manager trainee or something. He would miss the rigs but he would do what he had to do.

It was late at night when Jim pressed his chin to the top of her head and adjusted the blankets around him on the bed. She was snoring softly. He smiled affectionately and wrapped an arm around her to draw her closer to him. He grinned as he gently caressed the full breast under his hand. Her thin summer nightgown wasn't much of a barrier. His hand traced her ribs carefully and then came to rest on the taut, rounding bulge of her belly. A baby. He left his hand there for a long moment, hoping to feel it move or kick or something. Something to make it all real to him.

"The book says not until the fifth month," she whispered. "Soon…." Jim smiled softly and snuggled closer to her.

"The book?" Maggie nodded and turned around in his arms till she was facing him. Her brown eyes searched his gray ones in the dark and she sighed.

"You're not sorry, are you?" she asked. Jim hesitated a moment as her question sank in. Then he slowly shook his head.

"No," he said. "Not about this." Her brows furrowed.

"The job?" Jim sighed.

"Yeah," he said as he kissed her forehead. "It was a good job. But something else will turn up. Something here if you want." Maggie rolled over again and nestled against him as she pulled his arm over her side and held his wide spread hand over her belly. He had just started to drift off to sleep when she began to giggle.

"Did you feel that?" she whispered. He shook his head. "I think she is going to be a night owl."

"She?" he caressed her belly gently.

"Of course, she" Maggie chuckled. "I can only have a girl first. It's the law."

"I want her to have your eyes then," he whispered with a grin.

"And your nose….." she added.

"God forbid that she have your smile" he sighed. "I am doomed." Maggie giggled and rubbed his hand as it rested on her stomach. They were silent as they both contemplated the child they were having together.

"Jimmy…." she said softly. "Do you think she will be all right?" His arms tightened around her.

"She will be fine, Maggie." Why did she worry so much?

"Promise?" He pressed a kiss to her soft hair and then to her cheek. He felt her begin to relax and then drifted off to sleep himself.


	10. Chapter 10 Truth and Consequences

Jim stared across the table at Amy and Gina and then shook his head.

"No," he said firmly. "You are wrong. She is not crazy. She's just…"

"We didn't say that she was crazy, Jim," Gina said. She looked at Amy and shrugged helplessly. Amy took a deep breath.

"It's a mood disorder," she explained. "She has trouble maintaining consistency in how she feels and deals with things." Amy slid a binder across the table toward him. Jim read the words on the cover. Manic Depression. He shook his head again and sat back in his chair. He pulled a cigarette pack out of the pocket of his tee shirt and dropped it on the table.

"It's her thyroid," he said. "She can't take her pills because of the baby. That's why…" Amy opened the binder and flipped through the pages.

"Hypothyroidism is a common misdiagnosis for Manic Depression….." she read aloud. Amy cast her blue eyes back to his face. He was white. He looked sick.

"Amy is a psychology major, Jim," Gina said quietly. "She has been watching Maggie for a while now. She's been talking to her professors…."

"Talking to them about Maggie?" he retorted defensively. "What kind of a...friend… are you?" Amy's face fell and Gina sat up straighter.

"A good friend!" she cried. "Both of us are. We have tolerated a lot from her for a very long time. No one else has been around. Not her family anyway. We are trying to help her. You should appreciate that. We love her too." Jim was silent as he glanced from one face to the other. He pulled the binder toward him again and opened the cover.

"Can you just talk to me about this?" he said finally. "I am not good at reading stuff." Gina looked toward Amy and a hopeful smile crept across her face. Amy opened the binder and leaned forward.

It was a lot to take in. He had sat at the table with them for well over an hour as they went through the information in the binder and compared it behaviors he had seen in Maggie. The girl that he loved more than anything he had ever loved before. The girl that had become his family. The girl that was about to give birth to his child. Manic? At times, certainly. Depressive? She had taken to her bed for four weeks after he left for Oklahoma. She'd locked herself in her room. She wouldn't eat. Wouldn't go to work. Dropped out of school…again. They'd finally taken her to the hospital. That's where they found out she was pregnant. That's why she decided to stop taking her medication. That's why she never returned his calls. That's why she had never written. And it wasn't the first time Gina had seen her do that. He had been wrong about them. They were her friends. Good friends.

Maggie looked up as the bell rang over the door and smiled at him. She wiped her hands on the white apron that was tied over her belly and slipped her order pad into her pocket. Jim stamped the snow off his feet and looked around for an empty seat at a table. The diner was pretty full and all of the waitresses were busy. He slipped onto a stool at the counter and watched as she carried two plates to nearby table. She said something to the customers there and they laughed. She cast her brown eyes toward him again, her smile widening.

"Damn, but she has been working like a banshee lately." Jim looked up as the diner's owner and main cook leaned on the counter in front of him.

"I think she could probably run this place if I let her," Louis laughed. "Take orders… cook…. dishes….she is everywhere!" Jim smiled wanly and then turned to watch her work the dining area. She was indeed everywhere. Checking on customers. Refilling water glasses. Chatting. Flirting. Constant motion. If he hadn't just spent the last hour with Amy and Gina, he would have thought she was just being bubbly….fun…..excited. But now he could see the traces of what they had been trying to tell him. His eyes studied her rounding belly and something was caught in his throat. Suddenly he seemed to be struggling to see and hear….and breathe. He just wanted to sweep her out of there. Run away somewhere. Take her and the baby and leave. Get away from this manic depression thing. Get away from the rest of the world and be alone. Just them. Protected. He would take care of them both.

"Okay if she takes a couple of days off?" he asked as Louis filled a coffee cup for him. "There's something we gotta do."

"Hell, yes," Lou nodded. "She needs the rest. But I think you might have some trouble getting her away. She told a customer about an hour ago that she planned to work till that baby drops out of her. Said she'd come right back to work after a break." Jim chuckled and turned back to watch her again. She probably would too.

Just five hours later they were snuggled together under the cheap but warm quilts of a motel bed. They were miles from home and anyone they knew. And they were married. At first she had protested the idea of eloping. She really fought him but then it kind of took hold. Getting married became an 'adventure'. And it was. Now they were stuck in a crappy little motel in the middle of a Minnesota snowstorm. The television didn't work. The wind was howling around them and he looked up at the ceiling as he heard the pelting sounds of icy hail on the roof. Nothing like being in their own little world.

Maggie shifted restlessly next to him and sat up, her hand pressing the small of her back.

"I can't sleep…." she said irritably. "I can't get comfortable." She stood up and stretched her shoulders. Sleep wasn't going to come anyway. It hadn't for days. She glanced up toward the ceiling and frowned. Jim watched as she moved to the window and drew the curtains back. There was ice forming on the window and it was impossible to see anything in the swirling whiteness of the storm outside. he could almost feel the panic that was beginning to build in her.

"I can't stay here," she said in a panic. "We have to get out! We have to leave. Right now!" Jim climbed out of bed and dragged a blanket with him. He pulled it protectively over her shoulders and wrapped his arms around her.

"I can't drive in this, baby," he said. "We'll be fine till morning. We have to stay here." She twisted in his embrace and backed away from him. Her eyes were round with fear….and anger.

"I can't stay…." she choked. "I just can't." Jim advanced with the blanket held open and Maggie shoved her way past him.

"Stop it!" she screamed. She pulled the motel door open and ran out into the storm. Jim dropped the blanket and shoved his feet into his boots. He held his arm up against the swirling wind and tried to see where she might have gone. She was barefoot and dressed only in his tee shirt. She couldn't have gone too far. He saw her standing in the middle of the darkened parking lot. It was obvious that she didn't know where to go. He ran to her and swept her into his arms. She screamed and buried her hands in his hair and pulled.

"Damn it!" he yelped as he carried her back to the open door of their room. He slammed the door shut behind them and dropped her onto the bed. She was in her feet immediately and tore at him with her finger nails. Jim grabbed her hands and twisted her arms around her chest till he held her against him.

"Stop it, Maggie!" he ordered. She screamed again, struggled and then opened her mouth to bite the hand that held her. Jim moved it just in time and pressed it against her belly firmly.

"Stop it!" he ordered again. "Stop it…..you'll hurt the baby." His voice changed to a croon and he felt her begin to relax a little. Her hands pressed against his on her belly as she remembered the baby there. Her chest was heaving and he kissed the top of her ice flecked head.

"It's okay….." he said softly.

"It's not," she said firmly. "I can't stay in here."

"We'll leave as soon as it's daylight. I promise," he said emphatically. "I promise, Maggie." She nodded and pulled away from him. This time he let her go. She shivered as she stood on the thin carpet in her bare feet. She hugged herself as goose bumps covered her skin.

"Come on," he said softly. "Let's get you in a hot shower." He took her hand and she let him lead her toward the bathroom. He pulled the plastic curtain back and turned on the water. Maggie waited until he was standing at the door again and pulled his wet tee shirt from her body and stepped inside the tub. She pulled the curtain shut defiantly and Jim leaned his head against the door jamb. He glanced up and his eyes rested on the simple gold band he wore on his finger above him. Damn. Just what was he in for?


	11. Chapter 11 Deck the Halls

Jim pulled the car into the already full driveway and looked up the house in front of him. Strings of Christmas lights outlined the roof lines and railings on the porch. He could see a light laden Christmas tree in the huge front window. There were people moving behind the tree and he glanced over at Maggie. She reached for the door handle and tried to climb out of the car. He hurried to help her and then opened the back door for the bags of gifts. She was already halfway up the walk when he turned to hurry after her. She stopped at the front door to look at him for a second and then reached for the door bell. To their surprise, the door opened before the bell rang and they startled the young woman coming out.

"Maggie…" she said. She stepped aside and let them into the entry. She continued to stare at Maggie and frowned.

"Watch your step this time, Maggie," she finally whispered angrily. "You haven't been around for months. Mom doesn't need any of your crap right now." Maggie leaned forward and kissed her cheek.

"Merry Christmas to you too, Becky" she said. She reached for the bags in Jim's arms and turned on her heel to go into the living room. Becky glared after her.

"You weren't expecting us, I take it?" he asked. The girl was shaken from her thoughts and glanced at him as if she was seeing him for the very first time. They both looked toward the living room door as the noise and laughter became louder. They could hear Maggie above all of them. Becky shook her head in disdain and moved to the doorway. Her mouth dropped open and she swung her head back to him.

"She's pregnant?" she hissed. Jim nodded. Maggie's sister cast her eyes up and down his frame as she gave him a once over.

"Is it yours?" she asked. Jim frowned and had opened his mouth to speak as Maggie burst into the entry way and looped her arm through his.

"There you are!" she cried. "Come and meet my family." He dragged his eyes from Becky's as Maggie drew him into the brightly lit and crowded living room.

There were cousins and aunts and uncles and babies and little kids and teenagers…and in the center of it all, Maggie's mother. She ruled the celebration from her easy chair, covered with an afghan and her head wrapped in a close fitting, brightly colored silk scarf. Jim was a bit intimidated when Maggie dragged him over the wrapping paper strewn floor to stand in front of her.

"This is Jim, Mom," Maggie said happily as she hugged him. "This is my husband." He was aware that the noise in the room had stopped and all eyes were on him. He glanced about and then smiled uneasily at the piercing gaze of Maggie's mother.

"Hello," he said. He hesitated a moment and then leaned down to press a kiss to her dry cheek. "Merry Christmas." Annemarie Bryant continued to study him and nodded.

"Sit right here," she said and indicated the chair next to hers. "I think I want to talk to you for a bit." Maggie grinned and nudged him toward the chair as the older man who had been sitting there stood up. He shook hands with Jim and raised an empty cup.

"Uncle Ben," he said with a smile. "Í was just about to get a refill anyway. Want something, darlin'?" His sister shook her head and he moved away. Jim settled himself in the chair and watched Maggie as she made her way from person to person in the crowded living room. She was laughing and kissing and showing off her belly.

"So you're Jim," Annemarie sighed as she leaned wearily back against her chair. He nodded. She hadn't taken her eyes off him once.

"Yes, ma'am," he said.

"You realize that you broke her heart when you left her to go….where ever." Jim's smile faded.

"Oklahoma," he said. "I got a job there in the oil fields for a while. A good job. Besides, she knew I was coming back."

"Did she?" Annemarie sighed and was quiet for a moment. "Are you going to take care of her now? She can be a little difficult. Always has been." Jim chuckled and shook his head. A little? That was an understatement.

"I love her," he said softly as his eyes rested on Maggie. Their eyes met across the room and she grinned broadly. "Of course I am going to take care of her." Annemarie nodded slowly and studied her daughter. She reached over to pat Jim's hand.

"I'm glad then," she said wearily. She looked over at him, startled, as he took her hand in his.

"She'll be fine," he said. Maggie's mother nodded and a soft smile crossing her face as she clung to her son in law's hand. The two of them watched Maggie together.

Later he sat at the kitchen table in front of a plate of food.

"It's breast cancer," Becky said as she took a drag on her cigarette and flicked the ashes into an ashtray in front of her. "We've been through it all. Chemo…radiation… not much hope right now. But can't tell that to Maggie."

"She's never said a word to me about it," he said as he lifted a forkful of potato salad.

"I'm not surprised," she shrugged. "Maggie is in Maggie's own little world most of the time." Becky sniffed and crushed the cigarette out and then turned to look at him.

"She won't be able to take care of a baby, you know," she said. "My mother, I mean. You can't look for her to help when Maggie….." Her voice trailed off.

"Melts down?" he offered. Becky's brown eyes studied him. He shrugged.

"We'll manage…." he said. Becky snorted.

"You're working two jobs, right?" she asked. Jim nodded.

"For now." They both looked up as Maggie approached brushing her way through the cigarette smoke disdainfully.

"We have to be going," she said. "I can't sit in the middle of all this smoke. It's not good for the baby." Becky rolled her eyes.

"Jim," Maggie insisted.

"Let him be, Maggie," Becky scolded. 'He just got something to eat for god's sake." Maggie frowned and Jim took another bit from his plate before standing and carrying the dish to the pile by the sink.

"Are you going to need some help with all this?" he asked. Becky shook her head.

"No," she said. "I'm going to get the cousins all busy in just a few minutes." Jim grinned and then rested his hand at the small of Maggie's back.

"Go say good night to your Mom and I'll get our coats," he said as he nudged her back toward the living room. Maggie glanced from Becky to him and then nodded. Becky shook her head as she was left alone in the kitchen.

"You poor, poor sucker… she whispered as she watched him head toward the bedroom where the coats were.


End file.
